This Week in Yankees History
March 22nd- March 28th
March 22nd
March 22nd- March 28th
March 22nd
1903 - Advance tickets for the Highlanders’ home opener go on sale on the same day the team announces that it will build a new ballpark at 168th Street and Broadway in Manhattan. Their new home, Hilltop Park, was an all-wood structure with a small cover stand in the infield and open bleachers down the foul lines. It sat approximately 15,000 fans, including on the field, “bring your seat” tickets. Hilltop Park was finished in time for the 1903 AL season opener, it remained home for the Highlanders-Yankees until 1912, when the Yankees moved to the Polo Grounds. After a fire at the Polo Grounds in 1911, the Yankees shared the field with the Giants. In 1914, the wooden ballpark was demolished. Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center, a major hospital, opened up on that location in 1928.
1915 - Former Yankees P Norman “Red” Branch (1941-42) was born. Red went 5-2 in 37 games with 4 saves for the Yankees during 1941-42 AL seasons.
1960 - Former Yankees reserve C Scott Bradley (1984-1985) was born. Scott was drafted by the Yankees in the 3rd round of the 1981 MLB amateur player draft. He appeared in only 28 games for the Yankees, hitting just .224. On February 13, 1986, Scott was traded by the Yankees along with Glen Braxton (minors), P Neil Allen, and cash to the White Sox for C Ron Hassey, OF Matt Winters, minor league players Chris Alvarez and Eric Schmidt. Scott is currently the head baseball coach for Princeton University.
1962 - At spring training, Yankees All Star slugger Roger Maris declines to pose with HOF Mets batting coach Rogers Hornsby, because he had criticized him in his book “My Wars with Baseball.” Hornsby was jealous of the money that the modern MLB players were making, using Roger Maris as an example in his book. He called modern MLB players like Roger Maris, a “punk” in his book.
1963 - Former Yankees P and Bullpen Coach Rich Monteleone (1990-1993) was born. On April 29, 1990, Rich was traded by the Angels along with OF/DH Claudell Washington to the Yankees for OF/DH Luis Polonia. Rich went 17-9 in 120 games for the Yankees. Later, he became a pitching coach in the Yankees minor league system. Also he served as the Yankees MLB bullpen coach as well.
1965 - Former Yankees OF/DH Glenallen Hill (2000) was born. Glenallen hit .333 in 40 games with the Yankees during the 2000 AL season. On July 21, 2000, he was traded by the Cubs to the Yankees for pitchers Ben Ford and Oswaldo Mairena. On March 28, 2001, he was traded by the Yankees to the Angels for minor league OF Darren Blakely.
1972 - Former Yankees P Cory Lidle (2006) was born. (1972-2006) He went 4-3 in 10 games with the Yankees in 2006 before his death in an airplane crash in October of 2006. On July 30, 2006, Cory was traded by the Phillies along with All Star OF Bobby Abreu to the Yankees for P Matt Smith, Shortstop C.J. Henry, Carlos Monastrios and Jesus Sanchez.
1972 - In one of the best trades in the New York Yankees franchise history, the Bronx Bombers acquired reliever Sparky Lyle from the Red Sox in exchange for 1B/OF Danny Cater and minor league INF Mario Guerrero. In 7 seasons with the Yankees, Lyle will post a 57-40 record with 141 saves and a 2.41 ERA, winning a 1977 AL Cy Young Award, helping the team to win 2 World Series Championships.
1974 - The Yankees purchased OF Elliot Maddox (1974-1977) from the Rangers for $100,000. Texas Manager Billy Martin didn’t get along with him. During the 1974 AL season, Yankees Manager Bill Virdon switched CF Bobby Mercer to RF to play Elliot Maddox in CF, who responded with a .303 BA. Bobby Mercer became a very effective RF for the Yankees. Elliot was injured on the outfield playing turf during the 1975 AL season at Shea Stadium, resulting in a serious knee injury. He will never again be an effective player as he was during the 1974 AL season. Yankees manager Billy Martin had him traded to the Orioles in January of 1977 for veteran OF Paul Blair. Elliot Maddox would later sue the New York City over the playing conditions at Shea Stadium, but he lost the lawsuit.
March 23rd
1941 - Yankees All Star CF Joe DiMaggio, a 1941 MLB contract hold out and late arrival in spring training camp, plays his 1st exhibition game for the team. In 1941, Joe would hit .341 in 139 games with 30 HRs and 125 RBI’s. He would hit in 56 straight games, establishing a new MLB hitting record. Joe would win the 1941 AL MVP Award beating out his Red Sox rival Ted Williams.
1942 - The Dodgers re-obtained Stanley “Frenchy” Bordagaray (1941), buying the veteran 1B from the Yankees. On January 27, 1940, Frenchy was sent by the Reds to the Yankees to complete an earlier deal made on August 5, 1939. Reds sent players to be named later and $40,000 to the Yankees for Vince DiMaggio. They sent Frenchy Bordagaray and Nino Bongiovanni on January 27, 1940, to the Yankees to complete the trade. Frenchy would hit .260 in 36 games for the Yankees.
1944 - Former Yankees DH/1B George “Boomer” Scott (1979) was born. On August 26, 1979, George was signed as a free agent with the Yankees. George hit .318 in 16 games for the Yankees in 1979, before retiring from MLB.
1969 - Former Yankees reserve C Chris Turner (2000) was born. Chris was a back up catcher who played in 37 games, hitting .236 for the Yankees during the 2000 AL season.
1989 - Yankees P Charlie Hudson (1987-88) is traded to the Tigers for INF Tom Brookens. Charlie went 17-13 in 63 games with 2 saves for the Yankees. Tom Brookens will hit .226 in 66 games, before leaving the Yankees for free agency.
1990 - Howard Spira is arrested for extorting money from Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, who paid Spira $40,000 in January.
March 24th
1891 - Former Yankees P Ernie Shore (1919-1920) was born (1891-1980). On December 18,1918, Ernie was traded by the Red Sox along with P Dutch Leonard and OF Duffy Lewis to the Yankees for OF Frank Gilhooley, P Slim Love, P Ray Caldwell, C Roxy Walters, and $15,000. He went 7-10 in 34 games for the Yankees.
1925 - Former Yankees 1B Richard Kryhoski (1949) was born. In 1946, Richard was signed by the Yankees. He batted .294 in 54 games during the 1949 AL season for the Yankees. On December 17, 1949, he was traded by the Yankees to the Tigers for 1B Richard Wakefield (1950).
1930 - Former Yankees reserve C Bob Tillman (1967) was born. He went .254 in 37 games for the Yankees. On December 7, 1967, Bob was traded by the Yankees along with P Dale Roberts to the Braves for INF Bobby Cox, who would later become a Yankees MLB Coach and later a MLB manager for the Blue Jays and Braves.
1933 - The Yankees All Star Slugger OF Babe Ruth, another victim of America’s Great Depression, takes a pay cut of $23,000 from his 1932 MLB player contract salary of $75,000.
1972 - Former Yankees P Steve Karsay (2002-2005) was born. The Yankees signed Steve as a free agent for their bullpen. He went 6-4 in 91 games with 12 saves as a Yankee reliever. On May 3, 2005, Steve was released by the Yankees; he would be signed by the Rangers.
1982 - Former Yankees minor league P Heath Phillips was born. Signed as a free agent, he spent the 2008 season at Scranton (AAA).
1996 - At Tampa's Legends Field, Yankees veteran INF Tony Fernandez (1995) fractures his right elbow in a game against the Astros, and is placed on the 60-day disabled list.
March 25th
1920 - In a spring training game between the Yankees and Dodgers, a sweeping inside curve ball throw by Dodgers P Jeff Pfeffer hit Chick Fewster striking the Yankees shortstop behind the ear and flattening him. Fewster revives 10 minutes later, but soon loses the ability to speak. He was taken to the hospital with a skull fracture and a blood clot on his brain, Fewster will recover slowly and return to play in mid-season of 1920.
1922 - The Yankees released veteran OF Ping Bodie (1918-1921), he retired from MLB. On March 8, 1918, Ping was traded by the A’s to the Yankees for 1B George “Tigoa” Burns, who had been obtained from the Tigers on March 7, 1918. Ping hit .252 in 385 games for the Yankees. His best Yankees season was in 1920, hitting .295 in 129 games with 7 HRs and 79 RBI’s.
1932 - Former Yankees INF/OF Woodson “Woodie” Held (1954) was born. Woodie appeared in 4 games with the Yankees in 1954. He was unable to break into the regular Yankee infield or outfield. On June 15, 1957, he was traded to the A’s along with INF Billy Martin, P Ralph Terry, and OF Bob Martyn for P Ryne Duren, Outfielder’s Jim Pisoni and Harry ”Suitcase” Simpson. He would play with the A’s, Indians, Orioles, White Sox, Angels and Senators during his MLB Career.
1935 - The Yankees purchased starting P Pat Malone from the Cubs. Malone had led the NL in wins in 1929, with 22, and in 1930 with 21 (115 in a 7-year span), but Malone will only post a 19-13 record with the Yankees for the next 3 seasons.
1955 - Former Yankees OF/DH/1B (1982) and Coach, MLB Manager Lee Mazilli was born. On August 8, 1982, Lee was traded by the Rangers to the Yankees for AL All Star shortstop Bucky Dent. Lee hit .266 in 37 games for the Yankees, before being traded to the Pirates. On December 22, 1982, Lee was traded by the Yankees to the Pirates for P Tim Burke and minor leaguer players Don Aubin, John Holland and Jose Rivera.
1975 - Former Yankees P Adrian Hernandez (2001-2) was born. Adrian was signed by the Yankees, as an amateur free agent player in 2000.The Yankees were hoping that he would become a younger version of El Duque, he wasn’t just going to be that, just posting a 0-4 record in 8 games with the team before he was released.
1977 - Former Yankees P Brett Jodie (2001) was born. Brett was drafted by the Yankees in the 6th round of the 1998 MLB amateur player draft. He went 0-1 in 1 game with the Yankees, before being traded to the Padres on July 30, 2001 along with minor league OF Darren Blakely for veteran P Sterling Hitchcock.
March 26th
1913 - Former Yankees P Bill Zuber (1943-46) was born. On January 29, 1943, Bill was traded by the Senators along with cash to the Yankees for INF Jerry Priddy and P Milo Candini. Bill went 18-23 in 66 games with the Yankees. On June 18, 1946, Bill was purchased by the Red Sox from the Yankees.
1936 - AL All Star starter Red Ruffing accepts a $12,000 MLB player contract from the Yankees. He had posted a 16-11 record for the Yankees in 1935. In 1936, Red will go 20-12 in 33 games for the Yankees.
1937 - On the advice of HOF Tiger great Ty Cobb, the Yankees young CF Joe DiMaggio reduces the weight of his bat from 40 ounces to 36 ounces.
1949 - Former Yankees P Roger Hambright (1971) was born. Roger was drafted by the Yankee in the 67th round of the 1967 MLB amateur player draft. Roger was brought up from the Manchester Yankees (AA) by the Yankees in 1971. He went 3-1 in 18 games out of the Yankees bullpen. It would be his only season in the MLB.
1951 - In a spring training exhibition game at University of Southern California, Yankees rookie OF Mickey Mantle propels a HR estimated at 654 to 660 feet. The shot clears Bovard Field and then goes the width of a practice football field before landing. Mantle has 2-HRs, a bases loaded triple, and drives in 7 runs as the Yankees flunk the Trojans, by a score of 15-1.
1952 - The Cardinals purchased INF Gene Mauch from the Yankees. Gene never played for the Yankees at the MLB level. On November 19, 1951, Gene was drafted by the Yankees from the Braves in the 1951 MLB Rule 5 player draft. Gene later became a MLB manager with the Phillies in 1960. Also he managed the Twins, Expos and Angels during his long MLB manager career.
March 27th
1879 - Future HOF Yankees Manager and MLB INF Miller Huggins is born in Cincinnati, Ohio. (1879-1929) Adept at getting on base, Huggins will led the NL in walks 4 times, score 100 or more runs 3 times, and regularly collect 30 or more stolen bases and an on base percentage near .400. He will start as a player-manager with the Cardinals before heading to the Yankees in 1918. Huggins will led the Yankees to 6 AL pennants and 3 World Series titles, and his "Murderers' Row" club, which won 110 games before sweeping the 1927 World Series, has been considered one of the greatest MLB teams in history. He died during the 1929 AL season on September 25, 1929 from exhaustion and blood poisoning. Miller Huggins was selected to the Baseball HOF by the Veterans Committee in 1964. His Yankees manager career record was 1,067-719 .596 (1918-1929), 4th on the Yankees all time Managers wins list.
1910 - Former Yankees P Steve “Smokey” Sundra (1936, 1938-40) was born. Steve went 21-11 in 77 games with Yankees before being traded to the Senators in 1941. On December 11, 1935, he was traded by the Indians along with P Monte Pearson to the Yankees for P Johnny Allen.
1941 - The Yankees sell P Steve Sundra to the Senators, who had posted an 11-1 record in 1939. He slipped during the 1940 AL season to a 4–6 mark.
1946- Former Yankees C/DH/INF Bill “Suds” Sudakis (1974) was born. On December 7, 1973, Bill was purchased by the Yankees from the Rangers. Bill hit .232 in 89 games with the Yankees in 1974. On December 3, 1974, Bill was traded by the Yankees to the Angels for P Skip Lockwood.
March 28th
1919 - Former Yankees P Vic “Springfield Rifle” Raschi (1946-1953) was born. Vic was signed by the Yankees as an amateur free agent in 1941. Vic was one of main starters along with Allie Reynolds and Eddie Lopat during the Yankees 5 straight World Championship run of 1949-1953. He won 120 games as a Yankee starter with 24 shutouts and 99 complete games. Vic won 21 games each season for the Yankees from 1949-51. In February of 1954, he was sold to the Cardinals for $85,000 by Yankees GM George Weiss, as a signal to stop other veteran Yankee stars from staging salary holdouts. Vic lasted less than 2 years with the Cardinals, pitching under .500. He would finish up his MLB career in 1955, splitting time with the Cardinals and the A’s.
1923 - Former Yankees reliever Bob “Sarge” Kuzava (1951-1954) was born. On June 15, 1951, he was traded by the Senators to the Yankees for hurlers Fred Sanford, Tom Ferrick, and Bob Porterfield. After being obtained from the Senators, Bob worked out of the Yankee bullpen going 8-4 with 5 saves in 1951. Overall his Yankee pitching career record was 23-20 with 33 saves in 111 games. Bob had World Series saves in 1951 and 1952 for the Yankees. He appeared in 3 World Series with the Yankees (1951-1953) with no record. On August 7, 1954, Bob was selected off waivers by the Orioles from the Yankees.
1927 - In a final spring exhibition match between the 1926 World Series' opponents, the Yankees score 4 runs in the 1st inning off of Cardinals starter Grover Cleveland Alexander. Then, Alexander shuts down the Yankees until leaving in the 8th inning, the Cardinals score 2 in the 9th inning to win 6-4. Both teams use their regular lineups - the only teams to make no starting changes from last year's teams. The 4 runs off of Alexander are the 1st, the 40-year-old veteran starter has allowed in 15 innings of spring training work.
1968 - Former Yankees reserve INF Jose Vizcaino (2000) was born. On June 20, 2000, Jose was traded by the along Dodgers with cash to the Yankees for C Jim Leyritz. He hit .276 in 73 games for the Yankees. Jose had the game winning hit in Game 1 of the 2000 Subway World Series between the Yankees and Mets. He left the Yankees to sign as a free agent with the Astros, after the 2000 World Series.
1981 - Current Yankees P Edwar Ramirez (2007-2008) was born. On July 9, 2006, he was purchased by the Yankees from the Edinburg (United League). Edwar went 5-1 in 55 games with 1 save for the Yankees in 2008.
1986 - The Yankees waived veteran knuckleball hurler Phil Niekro; just 4 days shy of his 47th birthday. Phil would be picked by the Indians in April of 1986. As a Yankees starter, Phil posted a 32-20 record in 65 games (1984-85).
2001 - The Yankees send OF/DH Glenallen Hill to the Angels for minor league OF Darren Blakely. On July 21, 2000, he was traded by the Cubs to the Yankees for Pitchers Ben Ford and Oswaldo Mairena. Hill would hit .333 in 40 games for the 2000 Yankees.
2003 - Three days prior to Opening Day, the YES Network claims Cablevision has pulled out of a proposed deal signed 17 days ago which would have provided televised Yankees games nearly 3 million cable subscribers in the New York City metropolitan area. According to a YES press release, the giant cable television company failed to sign a finalized version of the hand-written document that both parties exchanged on March 12, but Cablevision president, James L. Dolan, said when YES sent him a revised typewritten draft on 2 days later, the document contained alterations that he found unacceptable.
2 Comments:
That was sad when Cory Lidle Died.
Rogers Hornsby called Maris a punk? For shame!
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